Idiots in Love
by KatanaNoNeko
Summary: When Lucy is kicked out of her apartment, Natsu offers her a helping hand. In the process, their bonds grow stronger and they become something more... without even realizing it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is Idiots in Love! I've been excited to post this for a while, but I had MAJOR writer's block while finishing it up. Enjoy! The chapter are all done, so unless I stop posting them, this story will come to an end.**

* * *

"Please! I know I'm late again, but I promise I'll get you the money as soon as I can!"

"Lucy, I like you, but enough is enough. You've been late for every payment this past year. I'm evicting you. You have a week to get your stuff out."

Lucy's head dropped. "I understand, ma'am."

"I'm sorry to have to do this to you, and I wish you the best of luck," and with that, Lucy's landlady was out the door. Lucy closed it after her, then went and plopped on the bed.

"What am I going to do!?" Lucy thought back to all the places she had looked at when first moving to the city. "No, no, no! I can't afford any of those! One of the reasons I chose this place was because it was the cheapest I could find that was actually livable in!" Her mind traveled to Fairy Tail. "All the girls live at Fairy Hills, but I certainly can't afford that! Maybe I could ask someone if I could stay with them for a while?" She thought some more, not really wanting to have to beg for a place to stay from her guildmates. Lucy sighed, though, knowing that really, that was her only option for the time being.

"HIYA, LUCY!" A voice interrupted Lucy's train of thoughts. She looked to the window to see Natsu's cheeky grin and wide, playful eyes as he climbed in and lifted a couple of bags up. "I got the groceries you needed!" Lucy smiled, remembering that morning. She had awoken once again to Natsu sleeping in her bed, but for some reason, it just hadn't agitated her like normal. Happy hadn't been there that morning, explained by Natsu that it was because he was out catching the biggest fish he could find in order to woo Carla. After they had awoken, Natsu had asked Lucy if she was going to cook breakfast, and once again, she hadn't been annoyed as per usual. She had merely replied that she had no food, since Natsu had ransacked her fridge the night before. The accused had then immediately offered to buy more food for her, and after a lot of half-hearted arguing of Lucy's that he didn't need to get her groceries, he left, list in hand.

"Thanks, Natsu. You really didn't need to do that, though." Lucy said graciously. Then she sighed. She was low on funds, but this was _her_ food. She needed to pay Natsu back whatever he had spent. "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it!" Natsu replied in his usual lively and carefree tone as he plopped down on the couch, the bags of food falling down next to him. He grabbed an apple from them and began to chomp away. Lucy stood from her bed and walked over so she was standing in front of him.

"But I will worry about it! Natsu, you paid for _my_ food with _your_ money. I'm going to pay you back!" Natsu sighed and sat up.

"I said not to worry, Lucy, and I mean it. It's fine!" When Lucy looked at him unconvinced, he pointed to the apple in his hand and added, "Plus, I'll probably just eat most of it, anyways, so it was like I was buying food for myself." Lucy knew that whether or not Natsu would eat the food didn't matter to him; he still would've paid for her, but she also knew that he was not going to relent. She sighed.

"Thank you, Natsu." Lucy sat next to him and laid her head against Natsu's shoulder, appreciative for his support, even if he didn't know that he was supporting her, and, in turn, he rested his head against hers. Natsu was confused as to why she seemed a little sad, but he let it go for now with just his small gesture of comfort. He had figured out that sometimes, it was better not to ask, lest she get super upset and give him a Lucy Kick. After a little bit, Lucy stood up and began to head towards the kitchen. "So... Eggs?"

"Yeah! Sounds great!" Then Natsu sniffed, and realized that there was an extra scent besides Lucy's and his own lingering in the apartment. "Is that... Was your landlady here while I was out? What'd she want?"

Lucy turned around, nervous and not knowing what she would say. "Er... She... She just came by to pick up rent for the month." She gave him a smile, but Natsu could hear the sad undertone in her voice and remembered the feeling he had picked up from her earlier. Now, he needed to ask, as he was starting to seriously get worried about Lucy. He figured she had missed her rent payment or something like that, but she had done that a lot and was never this sad, so he wasn't sure what it could be. Usually when she missed a rent payment, she was just pissed at him for breaking things on the jobs they went on.

"Lucy, what happened?" He stood from the couch, now directly in front of Lucy.

"N-nothing! It's fine, I'm fine!," but she wasn't convincing anybody.

Natsu took her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Lucy. Whatever happened, tell me. I can help you."

Lucy sighed and looked down. She was hesitant at first, but then all the words spilled out. "I've been... Kicked out of my apartment. I didn't have the money for rent this month yet again, and my landlady had enough, so she evicted me, and I have to get all my stuff out by the end of the week, and I don't know where I'm going to go-"

"Well, that's no problem!"

Lucy's eyes snapped up. Natsu looked really happy, much different from his intense look earlier. It made Lucy a little angry that he was so smiley right now. "What do you mean, 'that's no problem'! It's very much a problem! I can't afford anyplace else in Magnolia and I don't think Levy or Mira or anybody have any room in their apartments for an extra guest, and... and... Ugh! I just don't know where I'm going to go!"

"I already told you! It's not a problem where you're going to go, because you can stay with me! Oh, and Happy, of course!" Natsu gave her a grin.

"W-what?"

"You can live with me!" Lucy just stared at him, trying to comprehend his words. Finally, her brain caught up and her face flushed red. "You're super red, Luce. Do you have a fever?" Natsu put a hand over her forehead and leaned closer, his breath tickling her lips.

Lucy jumped away. "Ah! No! No, I don't have a fever!" Lucy covered her face with her hands. "Do you realize what you just asked me!?"

"Uh, yeah? I mean, it wasn't really a question, but I told you you could live with me. Come on, let's get your stuff packed up! Then we'll move it to my house!" Natsu glanced at the bags of food still on the couch. "Heh, it really is like I was buying food for myself!"

"I... Um... Are you sure? I mean, why don't I ask Levy or Mira or somebody? I don't want to be a burden to you!" _Well, I don't want to be a burden to anybody..._

"It's fine, Luce! I'm the one that offered it to you!" Natsu gave her a grin. "Now come on! We need to have your stuff moved by the end of the week, you said, right?"

Lucy nodded, then sighed. It wasn't that she was necessarily opposed to the idea, she just thought that it would be weird staying with him. _Then again,_ she thought, _Natsu's always at my apartment anyways. He'll just be returning the favor._ Lucy looked at Natsu as he searched for some boxes in her closet. He noticed her look and gave her a grin, to which Lucy soon realized she had smiled back to.

"Found some boxes, Luce! Let's get packing! And then, since I'm helping you, you should cook a big dinner for us at home! A really big one!"

Lucy grinned widely, realizing that she would be just fine. It didn't matter where they were; as long as she and Natsu were together, everything was going to be okay. _You know, as long as there aren't any threats to end the world, as well._ "Alright! Thanks, Natsu!" Taking a box from him, she began to stack papers from her desk inside it as Natsu started packing her various picture frames and other little decorations. Then, Lucy stopped.

"Agh! You just got me to agree to cook a bunch of food for you!"

"Yup! And the Luce I know would never go back on her word! Oh, and how about those eggs? I'm hungry!"

"I can't believe I'm going to live with you! You just wanted someone to cook and clean for you!" Lucy said jokingly.

"You've got that right!" Natsu joked back, overjoyed that Lucy was back to her normal self. He couldn't understand why, but when Lucy was seriously upset, then so was he. "Ow!" Lucy had playfully whacked him.

"Just for that, I'm not gonna cook you breakfast anymore!"

Natsu pouted. "Awww... Come on, Lushi! I'll keep packing while you cook!"

"Huh... Fine," Lucy gave in to his pleading. "But you aren't allowed to complain about me having too much stuff, because I'm sure you would've done that later."

"Deal! Yay! Lucy food!"

* * *

"Natsu, I'm done-" Lucy walked into what used to be her living room to see Natsu trying to close a box that was way too full, his hands covered in unusable bits of tape. "You really don't know how to pack, do you?"

"Well, I've never had to before!" Natsu exclaimed, still trying to close the box, and obviously trying not to burn it in frustration.

"Well, neither have- oh never mind. Let me help you with that, Natsu." Lucy set the plates on the table, then walked over and knelt beside him. Taking things out, Lucy then showed Natsu how to close up a box without using a mess of tape. "Like that. Get it?"

"Yup! Thanks!"

"Well, the eggs are ready. Come eat!" Lucy gestured towards the plates on the table.

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

* * *

"NATSUUUUU! LUSHIIIIII!," a little blue bundle of fur shouted as he came in the open window. "Are you ever coming to the guild today? You said you'd meet me there later, Natsu! Well, now it's later!"

Natsu and Lucy greeted Happy, then Natsu continued. "Yeah, little buddy, I know, but we got caught up with something. Long story short, Lucy's moving in with us!"

Happy seemed, well, happy, but confused. "Lucy's gonna live with us!?" What happened to living here? Unless...," Lucy and Natsu watched as a devious smile formed on Happy's face. "You guys just can't stand living apart anymor-"

Lucy whacked the exceed. "It's not like that, cat! I got evicted, and I don't have another place I can afford right now."

"Oh." Happy watched them work for a few seconds, then began whining a little. "Hmm... Do I have to help pack?"

Lucy laughed and shook her head, then Natsu said, "I think we should be covered there, but do you think maybe you could try and clean up a spot at home for Lucy's stuff to go? Just get somewhere cleared up enough for her boxes, and then we can clean more properly after she's moved."

Happy's wings appeared as he floated up from the ground with a pretend pouty face. "Okay... You're lucky we love you, Lushi! I hate cleaning!"

Lucy laughed again. "I know. Thanks, you guys!" And with that, the exceed was off.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be posted sometime next week.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Natsu?," Lucy started as she began folding her clothes up. "I'm curious. What are some of your favorite memories of this apartment?"

"Well, that's a weird question! I don't really have memories of the apartment itself. My memories are spending time in it with you and Happy!"

Lucy giggled. "You're sweet, Natsu, but that's kind of what I meant. I was asking what your favorite one of those times was."

"Oh! Okay! Um... I still don't know. Although it was always funny to see your reaction to the crazy job requests Happy and I would bring by! Especially the," Natsu cleared his throat, then began speaking in an over-the-top mock scary voice. "'Haunted Galuna Island' S-class request!"

Lucy playfully whacked him again for sporting his "scary" face and voice. "I was so mad at you! I thought we would get kicked out of the guild!"

Natsu laughed. "But we didn't! And hey, you got your horse-man because of it, so you should be glad we took that job!"

"Yeah, you're right! I did get Sagittarius from those guys!," Lucy said, not even bothering to correct Natsu on her spirit's name. "And besides all the danger, it was pretty fun. Any other memories?"

"Well, I mean your bed was always nice to sleep in. I never had a bad night's sleep in that!" Natsu brought up as he took the blankets and sheets off for Lucy to fold.

"Yeah, it was a pretty comfy bed. I don't think I had very many bad nights, either," Lucy commented, putting her first sheet, folded, into a box.

"No, seriously. I didn't have a single sleepless night in your bed! You always get the good beds, Luce! Hey, what next?"

Lucy looked at him confusedly. "What do you mean? I've only had this one bed. And can you get the curtains down next? Please _try_ not to rip them."

Natsu snickered and moved to the window to follow her instruction as he continued their conversation. "Like, when we're at an inn or whatever, you always have the good bed. I try to sleep in mine, and I just get super restless! But as soon as I hop into your bed, I calm down! How come you always get the comfy beds? Ow!" Lucy looked over, alarmed by his 'ow', to see that the curtain rod had fallen on him in his attempt to get it off the wall. Stifling a giggle, Lucy asked if he was okay, then continued after his confirmation.

"Well, that doesn't make sense, because the beds are all the same at hotels. And even if they aren't the same, it's not like I'm taking 'the good bed' on purpose. You could always ask me to trade with you, you know."

"Nah, I don't want you to have the bad bed, either!" Natsu said as he tossed one curtain, then another over to Lucy to pack up.

"Once again, you're very sweet," Lucy said, a little sarcastically. "Anyways, say goodbye to my great bed, because the furniture came with the apartment."

"It did?"

"Well, yeah! Did you see me lugging around a table and chairs when you met me?"

"Oh, right! I never really thought about it!"

Lucy laughed. "You never really do! But that's what makes you Natsu!" He grinned at her. "Alright, let's..." Lucy sighed. "Let's tackle the dishes next. Please, _please_ try not to break any!"

"Heh heh, okay, Luce!" As they moved to the kitchen, boxes in hand, Natsu continued. "So, Luce! You have any favorite memories?"

"The bathtub was always nice."

"Lucy! That's not what I meant!" Natsu handed Lucy some plates to pack as he playfully scolded her.

Lucy laughed as she put the plates in a box. "I'm joking! Well, the bathtub was great, but that's not my favorite memory." Lucy paused and thought a bit, then clapped her hands together when she knew what she would say. "My favorite memory was probably seeing the rainbow cherry blossom tree floating past my house on the canal!"

Natsu noticed how her eyes were lit up at the memory and couldn't help but feel a little warmer inside than his magic already made him. "Yeah! The tree was pretty cool!"

Lucy smiled to him. "It was very pretty, and I'm so glad I didn't miss it, but that's not why it's my favorite memory. It's my favorite memory because it reminds me how much I mean to my friends and how much they mean to me, Natsu."

"Fairy Tail has a bond like no other!" Natsu smiled back at her. "I wonder who uprooted the tree?" Natsu said while sporting a very terrible poker face.

"Natsu, I know it was you and Happy."

Natsu's jaw dropped. "Whaaat! But we were so sneaky! How'd you find out?"

"Natsu, I figured it out the moment I saw it because you're the only one crazy enough to pull a stunt like that!"

Natsu laughed. "I just didn't want you to miss it! You were really looking forward to the festival, and then I was kinda part of the reason you got sick, so I just thought I'd-"

"Uproot Magnolia's precious tree and load it onto a boat to be floated by my house?" Lucy finished.

"Exactly! Although, it sucked to put it on that stinking boat. You're lucky I didn't barf on that tree..." Natsu tried not to turn green at the memory.

"Thank you, Natsu. I really appreciated it. It made what would otherwise have been a pretty crappy day into my favorite memory from this apartment."

"You're welcome, Luce!" _Anything for you_ , he added in his head, although he wasn't sure why.

"Hey, we're not working! Hand me those glasses!" Lucy ordered Natsu.

"Sorry! Here ya go!"

* * *

Natsu and Lucy kept working until it began to draw dark outside, which was when they had decided to stop and continue the next morning. Quite a bit of work had gotten done; there were only a few more things to pack, and then it could all start getting moved.

They had kept talking about the fun times in the apartment as they worked. Sometime during the talk, Natsu and Lucy had each noticed for the first time a feeling that had been around for a long time. It was a feeling that made them smile at just the thought of each other, made their chests warm up when they saw the other's grin, and made their hearts beat faster when they were together. Neither realized what it was, but it was the feeling of true, irreplaceable love.

Yes, Natsu and Lucy were both in love with each other, but neither had figured out their own feelings. Lucy often called Natsu dense in the realm of romance, but in this instance, she was just as guilty.

"So, roomie! What are you gonna cook up?" Natsu asked as they walked to his house.

Lucy laughed. "Well, roomie, I was thinking about whipping up a quick pot of extra spicy chili."

"Mmm! Sounds great!"

"I knew it would! And tell you what- I'll make some brownies for dessert, too!"

"Mmm! Yes!"

They arrived at the house, and as Lucy cooked, Natsu kept cleaning from what Happy had done.

As they ate, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all laughed together while reminiscing some more, although it was mostly Happy retelling a lot of the stories Natsu and Lucy had already talked about.

"I'm gonna miss your apartment, Lucy! It was a lot of fun to sneak in and annoy you!" Happy remarked as he giggled.

Lucy spoke sarcastically. "Oh, yes. Ha ha ha. That was hilarious!"

Natsu laughed as well. "It was!" Lucy glared at him. "Anyways, Luce, thanks for the food! It was great!" he said while grinning to her.

Lucy's glare became a smile. "Well, thanks for giving me a place to stay and helping me pack everything!"

"You're welcome! We're happy to have you!"

Happy yawned. "Well, good night! I'm gonna get to bed. I need to get up early so I can catch a fish for Carla!"

Natsu and Lucy both wished the exceed a good night, then Lucy continued. "It's almost ten already. I think I'm gonna head to bed myself. Can you get me some blankets so I can make a cot on the floor?"

"Nah, you don't have to sleep on the floor tonight! You can use my bed; I'll sleep on the floor!"

Lucy shook her head. "No, you're already doing so much for me. And you don't even have a bed, Natsu! You sleep on the couch!"

"Well, actually, until tonight, I slept in your bed, but all right, fair enough. I don't know where we keep our blankets, though, or even if we have any extra, so I'll run back to your house quick and grab yours!" he said, moving to the door.

"Thanks again, Natsu!" And with that, he left. Lucy sighed and smiled. Then, she grabbed the pajamas she had brought, about to go into the bathroom to change, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Natsu's really excited about this, you know."

Lucy whipped around. "What? Happy! I thought you went to bed!"

"Well, I did, but I wanted to tell you that."

"Okay, but what do you mean by his being excited? He seems normal to me."

"Well, for the most part, he is normal, but..." _Natsu was chattering to me so much about Lucy and how much fun they would have while cleaning!_ Happy really didn't know how to say that to Lucy without it being weird.

"Happy?" Lucy looked at him confusedly.

"Natsu never cleans! I think he really wanted your new home to be nice for you!" _Besides that, though, his eyes were really bright when he was talking about her! He really loves Lucy. I can tell._ Once again, Happy didn't want it to be weird. How does anyone say something like that and have it not be weird? When Lucy kept looking at him with a confused look on her face, Happy shook his head. He would have to tell her some other time. "Never mind! Forget what I said. Good night!" Happy gave Lucy a grin, then left her alone again.

"Wait..." Lucy spoke with only a little of her voice, and it went unnoticed by the exceed. _That was strange. It seemed like Happy wanted to say more. I wonder why he didn't?_ Heeding Happy's advice, Lucy decided not to worry about it. She changed into her pajamas, and then a few minutes later, Natsu was back with her blankets.

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 **A/N: Here's the next chapter! I'm sorry that these chapters are short; they don't appear so short in my phone's notepad ^_^' Next chapter next week! Or maybe later this week. I don't know.**

 **Thanks for the reviews! I would say thank you to each reviewer individually, but unfortunately, I just don't have that kind of time! I do appreciate them, though!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: CRAP THIS ONE IS EVEN SHORTER THAN THE LAST ONE. Whoops.**

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"Hey, Luce! I got your blankets! You can set up anywhere you want!" Natsu said, handing Lucy the box.

"Thanks, Natsu. I'll just sleep here in the living room." Lucy replied, gesturing to an area in front of the couch. "Good night!"

"'Night! I'm gonna go eat just one more of those brownies, and then I'll be going to sleep, too." Lucy nodded her understanding as she began to lay her blankets out on the floor. Natsu smiled, then went to the kitchen, as he said he would. _Man, this is so great! Lucy, living with Happy and I! It'll be just like before: a sleepover every night, except now she can't yell at us for breaking in!_ Natsu finished off the last bite of his brownie, then went back to his living room. Lucy and Happy were both already asleep, one on the floor by the couch, the other in a pile of pillows on the sofa. _Lucy must've had a longer day than I thought, if she's asleep that quickly. It must be tough, getting kicked out of your home, even if it was taken care of easily._ Natsu climbed over the two and onto the couch. He smiled as he watched Lucy sleep for a bit, just breathing in and out, then closed his eyes, ready to drift off to sleep.

Or so he thought.

Suddenly, the couch was very uncomfortable. Natsu felt completely awake, as if he had to do something before he was allowed to sleep.

He looked out into the room, trying to see if anything was out of the ordinary, and his eyes were immediately drawn to Lucy. For some reason, he felt like he needed to sleep down on the floor with her. He recognized it as the same feeling he got when Lucy had the more comfortable bed. Did the cot seem more comfortable than the couch to him? Instead of questioning it, Natsu did as normal and just went with his gut feelings. Letting his instincts control his movements, Natsu laid next to Lucy, wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, and very soon after fell asleep.

* * *

"Um... Natsu?"

"Hrm... Yeah?"

"Why... Why are we sleeping like this?" Natsu kept his eyes closed, but as his senses returned to him after the drowsiness, Natsu felt another body -Lucy's- held tightly against his. He had his arms wrapped around her front, her back was against his chest, and their legs were entwined together. There were almost as close as two people could possibly be.

"I really... Don't know." Lucy opened her mouth to make a comment, but they suddenly heard a cry coming from Happy's pile of pillows.

"Aah! No! I didn't wake up early enough!"

Natsu and Lucy separated and sat up, although their legs were still tangled. "Happy, it's only eight. What makes you say that you woke up late?"

"Everyone knows that the best fish are caught as the sun is rising! And I can only give the best fish to Carla!" Happy flew around the room in a panic.

Lucy tried to settle the exceed down. "I'm sure you'll be okay, Happy. You'll just have to catch two fish for her tomorrow to make up for it!"

Happy did stop flying around the room crazily, but he still looked worried. "You really think that'll be okay?"

"I do."

Natsu chimed in. "And if you're still worried, you can catch her more than just two! You could catch three, or four, or a ton of fish tomorrow!"

Happy looked excited. "Yeah! That's what I'll do! I'll catch a hundred fish tomorrow!"

Lucy and Natsu giggled at Happy's antics, and then they both tried to stand up from the floor. With their legs still tangled, though, they toppled back to the ground, Natsu on top of Lucy. Neither noticed the compromising position, although Happy had. He decided not to tease, however, knowing it would just get him kicked.

"Heh. Sorry, Luce. You okay?" Natsu asked as he got off of her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lucy replied, standing up. "I'm gonna go get dressed." She grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom. Happy noticed Natsu staring after her with a small smile on his face.

"Hey, Natsu?" Happy began tentatively.

"Yeah, Happy?" Natsu was still staring at the door that Lucy was behind.

 _Do you love Lucy?_ He was going to ask, but just like the night before with Lucy, he didn't want things to get awkward. "Never mind." Natsu gave Happy a weird look, then looked back towards Lucy, who was just then coming out of the bathroom.

"Ready to go finish packing?"

* * *

"I'll do the packing; you start taking boxes. Sound good, Natsu, Happy?"

"Yup!"

"Aye, sir!"

The way they decided to do it meant that the work went faster, and they were done by noon, the perfect time to go catch lunch at the guild hall. Before they left, though, Lucy took one last look at her apartment.

"It's all cleaned out." Lucy remarked with a sad tone in her voice. She sighed.

Natsu put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "But that's okay! You have a new house to live in, and we're gonna have a lot of fun in it!" He grinned at her. Lucy smiled back, and Natsu couldn't help but grin wider.

"We will have a lot of fun together. I just can't help but feel a little worried for my future, is all..." Lucy said goodbye to the apartment and closed the door, then started walking down the stairwell, Natsu's arm still around her.

"Don't be!" Natsu pointed his thumb at his chest. "I'll always be here for you!"

"Thanks, Natsu. I'll always be here for you, too, although I'm not sure how reassuring that is to you." Natsu opened the front door, and they left Lucy's old building for the last time.

"Hey, it's very reassuring! I can't explain why, Luce, but when you're with me, I always wanna try my best! And you've saved my life so many times, too!"

"Thank you, Natsu."

The three went into the guild hall when they arrived a little bit later. Happy made his way to Carla to explain that he didn't have a fish for her today, while the other two went to the bar.

"Hey, guys!" Mirajane greeted cheerfully. "I didn't see you here yesterday!"

Lucy and Natsu sat down. "Yeah, I had an issue that needed dealing with." Lucy began explaining.

"I had to help Lucy move!" Natsu butted in.

"Move? Did you get a new place?" Mira asked.

"I-"

"Lucy's moving in with me!" Natsu interrupted Lucy.

"Oh, really?" Mirajane said it calmly, but she was internally freaking out, really hoping that this meant something along the lines of love.

"I'm staying with Natsu because I have no place else to go right now. I got kicked out of my apartment."

"Oh no! Well, I'm glad it was sorted out quickly!" Mirajane remarked, feeling her romance-loving heart break.

"Well, I'm going to have to drop off my key and last month's rent at my landlady's house sometime soon, but yeah. I owe a lot to Natsu!" Lucy hugged him, and he hugged her back.

"Don't mention it, Luce! Hey, Mira, I'm starving! Can I get some spicy chicken?" Natsu asked excitedly.

"And I'd like a hamburger, please, Mira!"

"Ooh, make that two!" Natsu ended up adding the hamburger as well as a grilled-cheese sandwich and spaghetti to his meal. "Thanks!" Mira and Lucy laughed, then Mira nodded and went to complete the orders. Lucy and Natsu chatted for a bit, but by the time Mira brought all their food out, they had ended up staring at each other with a warm look in their eyes and a happy smile spreading across their faces. Both of their minds were running through the happy memories that they had been talking about so recently, and they couldn't help but feel... _something_ about the person sitting next to them. Mirajane cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Natsu! Lucy!" Mira snapped her fingers in between them when just clearing her throat failed, and that finally broke their gaze.

"W-what?"

"Your food's ready!" Mirajane smiled and gestured to the food sitting on the counter. Lucy and Natsu thanked her, and they carefully took Natsu's plates over to a table, where they started eating and continued to chat.

Mirajane called Happy over to her.

"Okay, Happy. Give it to me straight. What are those two's deal? Have they gotten together yet?" Mirajane was eager to know.

Happy sighed. "Their deal is that they're idiots in love." He snickered. "I don't think either one of them knows they're in love, but there's no denying how much they are!"

"Ah! How frustrating!" Mira gestured to where the couple had been sitting. "They were staring so intently at each other! I've never seen Natsu sit so still!"

"I know that all day yesterday, they were reliving memories with each other, does that have something to do with it?"

"So that's why they seem closer. Their special memories of each other are at the forefront of their minds, so they might finally be realizing their feelings!" Happy didn't seem to understand what Mira was prattling on about, but he ignored it and brought up another point.

"And last night while Lucy was cooking supper, Natsu kept telling me about how excited he was-"

"Aww, that's so sweet!"

"You didn't let me finish! He was _cleaning_ last night, too! Cleaning our house for Lucy!" Happy mimed sweeping a broom.

"Natsu can clean?" Mira laughed. "Oh man, these two." She started to think. "This is a precarious situation. Happy, I need you to not tease them at all about being in love. If you do, it may ruin the whole thing. They're so close. Everyone just needs to let this run its course and they should get together soon enough."

* * *

 **A/N: And there's the next chapter! Mira's not planning something devious? GASP! :P**

 **Also, for those of you who also read Togetherness, I have another chapter done. Why is it not posted, you may ask? Because it's not the next chapter. Or even the one after that or after that. In fact, it would take place AFTER the kid is born. I seriously don't know why I wrote that one when there's so much else that has to come before it, but whatever. The Important Conversation** ™ **that takes place in that chapter just kept running through my head, so I wrote it.**

 **ANYWAYS- Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! They are very appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Fun fact: This is the longest chapter.**

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It was over two weeks later. Natsu and Lucy had gone on a quick day job the morning after Lucy moved out in order to get the last of her final rent payment. Then, after giving Lucy's key to her former landlady, they went on a slightly longer and higher-paying job to secure some funds for a little bit.

Everyone could see that Natsu and Lucy were closer than ever. Those two jobs, for one, had both involved fighting, and Lucy hadn't minded going on them in the slightest, because she knew Natsu enjoyed them. When at the guild, they were often holding hands, or Natsu would have his arm or arms around Lucy. Also, even though Lucy didn't mind his brawling anymore and had even begun watching a little so she could cheer him on, Natsu had begun to opt out of fights to spend time with her. When not at the guild, they were still spending time together. At home, they were always laughing and talking or playing games, and they routinely slept on the couch together, Natsu's arms around Lucy. Otherwise, they would go out to eat, take strolls through the park... Once, they had gone to the Rainbow Cherry Blossom tree for a picnic, and ended up taking a nap, Natsu still holding Lucy, by the roots sticking up out of the ground from when Natsu had replaced it.

Happy was always invited along when they went out, but the exceed had started to feel more and more like a third wheel, so he would either disappear halfway through, or just opt out completely. He wasn't upset or anything at the two for spending their time with each other, but he was upset at something. Happy was upset because his two best friends still hadn't figured out that they were in love.

Yes, Natsu and Lucy were still the same two idiots in love that they had been, and it was driving everyone nuts. The two were basically acting like a couple! The guild was heeding Mira's advice to just let them figure it out, but Happy, Gray, Cana, and Gajeel were all especially having trouble not teasing. Happy couldn't stand it so much that he had gone on a mission with Carla and Wendy for the main purpose of getting away, not that he didn't also go to be with Carla. They were supposed to be back later tonight.

It was about two thirty in the afternoon right now. Natsu and Lucy were currently walking to the guild. Lucy had her head resting on Natsu's shoulder, and he had an arm around her shoulders, holding her closer. Each had a hand clasped together with the other person's. Unheard by both, many onlookers were giving out happy sighs and 'aww, young love's'.

"Do you want to go on a job today, Luce? It doesn't have to be another monster fighting one; you can pick it out." Natsu said, realizing that he had picked the last couple of jobs.

Lucy smiled. "Yeah, I think a job would be fun, but you're right, I don't really feel like doing another fighting job. I'll look at our options when we get to the guild." In the next minute, they arrived at the place in question.

"Hello, Mira!"

"Hey Natsu, Lucy! At the guild today?" Mirajane greeted back. "Do you want to eat?"

Lucy spoke next. "No, we're not eating here today. We ran out of jewel for going out to eat, so we just made sandwiches at home."

"We were gonna go on a job later!" Natsu said excitedly.

"Well, be careful," Mirajane started. "There's a pretty severe storm warning for this area."

"We're wizards from Fairy Tail! We can handle a little storm!" Natsu said, making a fist and lighting it.

"No, it's going to be really bad. It's supposed to start around seven. Master didn't want anyone leaving for jobs past five, lest they get caught in it, so if you're going, you'd better head out soon."

Lucy looked concerned. "Happy, Carla, and Wendy are going to be okay, right?"

Mira smiled. "Yup! We contacted all the members out on jobs right now to tell them. Wendy and them were going to stay the night at an inn."

Natsu and Lucy sighed in relief. "Do you still wanna go on a job, Luce?" Natsu asked.

Lucy thought a bit. "No. We can wait until tomorrow. Then Happy can join us!"

"Sounds good! Hey, Luce, I'm gonna go fight iron-face now, okay?"

"Yeah, go win for me!" Lucy smiled, then squeezed his hand before letting go. Natsu waved goodbye, then went and started his fight by punching Gajeel in the jaw. Lucy smiled as she watched him for a bit, then turned to Mira to talk to her, all the while keeping one eye on Natsu. "Living with Natsu has just been so great, Mira!"

"Really? Well, that's nice!" Mirajane smiled at her.

"I know I said this was only temporary, but to be honest, I haven't really looked for any new apartments yet."

Seeing Natsu glance at Lucy every few seconds or so, Mirajane said, "Well, I'm sure Natsu doesn't mind you staying for a while longer." But Lucy wasn't paying any more attention. She was once again in her 'love gaze', as Mira and some of the others in the guild had started calling it.

Eventually, Lucy had moved to a table closer to where Natsu was now fighting with Gray as well as Gajeel. She didn't really care to watch the fight all too much, but she liked spending time with Natsu, and this was one of the ways she could do that. Now that Lucy was cheering him on, Natsu was much more focused and his already high desire to win shot through the roof. Once it was almost 6:30, and Natsu had knocked each of the other guys out three times, Lucy decided that they should go home before the storm started, reminding Natsu that that was where there was free food. Waving goodbye to their lingering guildmates, Natsu and Lucy headed for their home, where they arrived soon after.

"What do you wanna do tonight, Luce?" Natsu asked as they walked in.

"First, we should get emergency stuff together. I think I have some candles in one of these boxes." Lucy said, beginning to dig into her still-packed boxes. "Ah-ha! Here they are!" Natsu watched as Lucy put them on the table, so they knew where they were.

"Why do we need emergency stuff?" Natsu inquired.

"In case the storm causes your lakrimas to burn out. If that happens, then you can light the candles and we can set them up around the living room. It's going to be dark soon, and I'd rather not be without light."

"Okay, I guess." Lucy fished a few more candles out of her boxes, then Natsu said, "Hey, I'm hungry! What are we gonna make for supper?"

"I guess it is supper time. I'm not really hungry, but you can make something!"

Natsu fake pouted. "But I wanna eat with you, Lushi!"

"Tell you what, why don't you go make a sandwich, and then when I'm hungry, we'll cook more food?" Natsu looked excited, and immediately ran to the kitchen. Lucy called after him, "And don't make a deca-decker like at lunch! We don't have enough ingredients for that!" Natsu reluctantly agreed, to which Lucy laughed, then sat down on the couch, grabbed the book she'd been reading from the coffee table, and opened it up. Her book was a romance story, but not one of the raunchy types. It was about two best friends who fell in love with each other. Levy had given it to Lucy just after she moved in with Natsu. _Let's see, it's been a few days since I've read... Oh yeah! Neither one can figure out that they're in love, but to everyone else, it's obvious! I mean, they even live together and share a bed!_ She read a line about the main protagonists' other roommate, Tia. _I feel so sorry for Tia. If I ever get into a relationship, I hope I don't accidentally make any of my friends third wheels!_ She read a bit more. _Ugh! They just need to kiss already! They're so in love! Who could anyone possibly be this dense?_

"What's happening in your book, now, Lucy?" Natsu asked, just coming back from the kitchen with a three-tiered turkey, ham, and roast beef sandwich, which was already eaten soon after. Lucy was laying on the couch, leaning against the arm, and Natsu sat behind the arm to read over her shoulder. They had done this a couple times previously since Lucy had started the book. Natsu wasn't all too interested in the story, but he liked spending time with Lucy, and this was one of the ways he could do that.

"Cherami and Todd are going on what would basically be a date if they hadn't invited Tia to come along. Now she's trying to figure out how to either get out of there or make them kiss." She pointed out where she was at on the page as Natsu began reading over her shoulder. "And I bet Monica snuck into the restaurant to try and get their date to have the right romantic setting, because a mysterious waitress put a candle on their table and scattered rose petals around as they sat down." Lucy kept reading, then turned the page. When she finished that one, she turned it again.

"Hey, Lucy? Can you read it out loud?"

Lucy gave him a strange look. "Yeah, sure! How come?"

"It's too quiet; I wanna hear your voice." Natsu started as he moved some of Lucy's hair out of her face and behind her ear. "Also, you read too fast. I can't keep up. I don't even usually like reading, anyways!" Lucy playfully whacked him. "But it's fun when we're reading it together like this! I just think I would like it more if you read to me!"

Lucy smiled to him. "Okay. I will. I think it sounds fun, too." Lucy cleared her throat, and Natsu put his arms around her, laying his head on her shoulder. "All right. Let's see... 'Tia took this as her chance to leave, but before she could get out of the restaurant, she bumped into a waitress. 'Agh! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I wasn't paying atte- Monica!? What are you doing here!?' Monica, in a waitress's uniform, began shushing Tia and...'" Lucy kept reading to Natsu, who was listening intently to her voice. They read for about thirty minutes, and then-

KRACK!

Lightning flashed outside. The storm had started in an instant. Rain was almost immediately crashing down on the roof. Thunder pounded in the sky as more lightning struck.

"Wow. This really is a bad storm. I'm glad we didn't get caught in this. It would suck to be stuck outside in this!"

Natsu shrugged. "It's not too bad. Keep reading!" He urged.

Lucy smiled. "Okay. Be prepared to lose the li-"

The lights flickered.

Darkness.

"-ghts..." Lucy sighed and Natsu heard the book being shut. "Can you light your hand, Natsu?"

"Oh, yeah!" In the next second, a flame burst to life on one of Natsu's fists. Lucy got up and set her book on the coffee table again, then walked over to the table to grab the candles, followed closely by her source of light.

"All right, here we go." Lucy grabbed the pile of candles and tucked them under one arm, then held one in her other hand. She took a step to get closer to Natsu in order to light the candle's wick, but then her foot caught on the leg of the table, and her body pitched forward.

"AAH!" Lucy screamed out in surprise. On instinct, she moved her hands in front of her face in order to shield it from impact, but in doing so, she dropped the candles. The candles flew across the room, and just before Lucy hit the floor, strong, warm arms wrapped around her and pulled her up. Natsu had doused the fire in his fist when grabbing her, but now he removed an arm from around her waist and lit it again. One of Natsu's hands still remained on Lucy's waist, even when she turned around to look at him face-to-face.

"Looks like my dragon has saved me again," Lucy remarked with a sly, but thankful expression on her face. Natsu smirked.

"It's one of the things I'm best at." And with that, they leaned to each other and shared a chaste kiss on the lips.

* * *

 **A/N: Mwah ha ha ha ha**

 **Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites!**

 **Edit: I'm kind of disappointed in you guys for not seeming to get the joke with Lucy's book.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been busy and didn't have the time to reformat the chapter for this site.**

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"Looks like my dragon has saved me again," Lucy remarked with a sly, but thankful expression on her face. Natsu smirked.

"It's one of the things I'm best at." And with that, they leaned to each other and shared a chaste kiss on the lips.

Neither one's minds registered it as abnormal.

"Let's light those candles now," Lucy suggested. Natsu nodded, then moved his arm to the small of her back and squeezed her against him for a second before letting go. Lucy bent down to start picking up the candles she'd dropped. Natsu watched her for a bit, maybe stealing a glance at her assets, accompanied with a scold to himself, before getting down next to her so the light was closer. After about five minutes, the candles were all lit and placed around the room.

"Yay! Light!" Lucy exclaimed. "It's still too dark to read, though. What do you wanna do now?"

"I'm hungry! Let's make supper!"

Lucy smiled at him and face palmed. "Didn't you just eat?"

Natsu laughed. "I think you know me well enough to know that I'm always ready to eat!"

Lucy grinned and laughed. "Haha, yeah. We'll have to move candles to the kitchen, though, and be very careful while we're working. Spaghetti again? That's something easy."

Natsu gave her his signature grin. "Sounds great!" Lucy smiled back to him and took a couple of candles to the kitchen,walking beside Natsu, her guiding light.

Lucy filled a pot with water and put it on the now-lit stove. _It's a good thing we have a gas stove,_ she thought, _or we wouldn't be able to cook this with the power out._

"I don't know why you insist on using that. I've never even used it. I can just cook with my fire!"

"That's because you don't know how to cook and always used to eat at my house," Lucy laughed. "And cooking on the stove is much safer than cooking with your fire. I refuse to lose another house in less than a month, especially not for the reason that you burned it down."

Natsu grinned. He was glad that Lucy had already moved past her eviction and could freely talk about it. Lucy was more Lucy when she was smiling

Once the water was boiling, Lucy dumped the uncooked spaghetti in. Then, Lucy got a pan down in order to make the sauce. Reaching into the cupboard, Lucy grabbed a large can of crushed tomatoes and handed it to Natsu for him to open. Then she grabbed a roll of hamburger meat from the fridge where it had been defrosting and began to brown it. Once that was done, she added the tomatoes and spices, and everything was finished.

"It smells great, as always!" Natsu complimented.

"Thank you!" They leaned close and quickly kissed for the second time that night.

Natsu grabbed a plate from the dish rack on the counter, where Lucy had put the clean dishes after the last time she'd washed them. Lucy grabbed a bowl, scoffing at Natsu's choice of dish. Natsu just snickered. It had been a running argument between them for years about whether a bowl or a plate was the proper dish to eat spaghetti out of.

They set their filled dishes on the counter, then went back to the process of moving the candles. Once they finished, Natsu lit a fist and acted once again as the guiding light for Lucy, who carried their dishes to the coffee table.

Finally, they could dig in.

"Mmm! Tastes great, too!" Natsu stuffed a few more bites into his mouth. Lucy laughed as he slurped spaghetti noodles into his mouth and caused sauce to splatter on his cheeks. She handed him a napkin, then spoke.

"Thanks! But I think I might've put too much garlic in." Lucy twirled noodles around her fork and took her first bite. "No, what was I thinking? 'Too much' and 'garlic' don't belong in the same sentence," she laughed.

"What's gar-lick?" Natsu asked. Lucy burst out in laughter.

"You really don't know much about cooking, do you? It's a... Vegetable, I think. Is it a vegetable?"

"See, you don't even know what it is!" Natsu teased.

"Well, I sort of know what it is! I know that it makes food taste good!" They both laughed at their silliness and continued eating as the storm outside cracked and thundered.

"I'm gonna go get more, 'kay Luce?"

"Ok- AH!" Lucy shrieked as the sound of the door slamming open resounded. She noticed that the dragon slayer beside her made a similar yelp of surprise.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Natsu and Lucy turned to each other and bust out laughing again at the realization that it was merely the wind that had pushed the door open. Lucy, still giddy and giggly, got up and closed the door to stop any more rain from puddling at the threshold of their house, then locked it in order to prevent the incident from happening again.

"You should've seen the weird look on your face!" Natsu teased once Lucy sat down on the couch again. She wrapped a blanket around her arms, as some of the rain had landed on her and made her shiver.

Lucy smirked. "I seem to recall a certain dragon slayer with the same 'weird look'."

Natsu fake pouted, and all it did was force Lucy just stifle a giggle with her hand. Because of that, Natsu then got a devious look on his face. "Oh, you wanna laugh?" And then he pounced on her, kneeling overtop of her, and tickled her stomach.

As the blanket fell off of her, Lucy kicked and hit at him so he would get off, all while laughing and screeching. "NATSU! STOP! AH! HA! STOP!" He took his hands from her stomach and moved them to her armpits. Knowing that Natsu wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon, Lucy hiked her knee up to her stomach between she and Natsu's bodies. She stretched her toes out and began attempting to tickle Natsu's stomach with her feet.

Natsu spoke, obviously trying not to laugh. "I'm not-" he giggled, "-ticklish!" He laughed more, and in his distraction he stopped tickling Lucy, focusing his efforts on not laughing.

"Really? Because it sounds like you are." She moved her fingers to his armpits and got even more laughing out of him, still tickling his belly with her toes.

"OKAY, FINE! I'M TICKLISH!" Lucy giggled, happy that she had finally broken him. "STOP! HA!" Lucy relented and stopped tickling him. She smiled down at him as she simultaneously realized that they had rolled onto the floor sometime during their tickle war. She kissed him on the nose.

Natsu also smiled and sighed happily, letting out one more chuckle. "Alright, you win. Next time I won't be so easy on you!"

"Mm-hm. Sure. You were going easy on me." Lucy laughed tiredly, then laid her head on Natsu's chest. She kissed his jawline, then said. "I love you, Natsu."

Natsu wrapped his arms around her. "I love you too, Lucy." And then he kissed the top of her head. Lucy sighed happily and lifted her head so they could kiss on the lips, this one lasting a bit longer than the other kisses had. Lucy then yawned.

"Natsu, it's still kind of early, but this candlelight is making me," she yawned again, "sleepy." The dragon slayer chuckled lightly, then yawned as well.

"Me, too. I think I'm done eating. All that tickling is making my gut queasy." Lucy also laughed lightly. "I'll go put the leftovers away, though." Natsu stood up, simultaneously picking Lucy up bridal style. He laid the celestial wizard on the couch and kissed her forehead before going to the kitchen, lighting his fist again.

Lucy sighed happily again. It was weird for her to feel so content sleeping on a couch, but here, living with Natsu, she was. _Natsu is the one who makes it comfortable,_ she thought. _I love living with him. This is perfect_.

Natsu took a container out of the cupboard to put the rest of the spaghetti in. He didn't used to have any of these containers, or leftovers, really, but that had changed since Lucy had moved in. _I love that she's living here. She makes everything so... Fun, just like always! And she can't yell at me for trying to be at her house all the time!_

Lucy began replaying the events of the night in her head. _We got home and I gathered the candles... We read together for a while... The storm began... I tripped over the table and Natsu saved me... We kissed... Natsu lit the cand-_ Lucy darted into a sitting position, all previous traces of sleepiness disintegrated. _We kissed!?_

Natsu thought back to the events of that night. _We got home and Lucy grabbed the candles... Lucy read her book to me for a while... The storm started... I saved Lucy from falling... We kissed... I lit the candles and-_ Natsu stopped what he was doing, causing him to drop the spoonful of spaghetti sauce he'd been scooping out of the pan. _We kissed!?_

Lucy continued thinking about what had happened. _Natsu lit the candles, and then we made supper, and Natsu complimented me, and we kissed again! What!?_ Lucy stood up and started pacing a little bit.

Natsu's mind was still running through the last hour or so. _I lit the candles, we made supper, I told her it smelled great, and then we kissed again! Huh!?_ Natsu didn't know how to react and was still standing stock-still.

Lucy continued recalling. _The door slammed open, and then I won our tickle war, then I- I kissed his jaw, and he kissed my hair, and, and- we told each other we loved the other and kissed again!_ Lucy mimicked the lightning outside with her speed as she ran to the kitchen, her eyes wide and her heart thumping like the thunder.

Natsu kept thinking. _The wind opened the door, and then we had a tickle war that I almost won, and then- she kissed my jaw, and I kissed her hair, and then, we, we said "I love you," to each other, and then we kissed again!_ Natsu was out of his temporary paralysis and dashed to the living room just as Lucy was darting to the kitchen, and-

BAM! They slammed into each other. It only stunned them for a moment, and then they pointed at each other.

"You love me!?" they yelled simultaneously and somewhat accusingly. "I love you!?" There was a pause as they stared at each other.

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 **A/N: Mwah ha ha ha**

 **Just one chapter left!**

 **Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Last chapter! Thank you all so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows!**

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"You love me!?" Natsu and Lucy yelled simultaneously. "I love you!?" There was a pause as they stared at each other.

Then, the realization crashed onto them like the lightning crashed in the sky outside, and at the exact same time, their faces were suddenly emblazoned with bright blushes. "Hoy crap, I do! I'm in love with you!" Natsu and Lucy both yelled out. They stared at each other with dumbfounded looks.

"So that's what that feeling was!" Natsu shouted.

"That's why I always feel so happy when I'm around you, even when we might die!" Lucy shouted back.

"That's why I always wanna protect you!"

"That's why I always know that you will!"

"That's why you're always on my mind!"

"That's why _you're_ always on _my_ mind!"

There was another pause, and then, just as when they blushed, their expressions changed at the same time once again. They changed into wide grins that spread nearly from ear to ear. Lucy jumped into Natsu's arms and wrapped her own arms and legs loosely around him as he picked her up and spun her in the air. They giggled together while in an eskimo kiss.

After a couple of spins, Natsu set her back down on the ground so as not to get dizzy. Then they kissed again, a passionate kiss that felt almost magical to the two of them. Lucy couldn't help but remember her imaginings of storybook kisses of true love as she kissed Natsu. This kiss wasn't at all like those imaginings; it was better, more personal. It felt more like _them_ then one of those storybook kisses could've been. Lucy's end of the kiss was slightly tentative, as if she was trying to decide how to go about it. The caution was over quickly once she had an idea of what she was doing. Natsu's side also matched his personality. He was giving it everything he had, even though he had no idea what he was doing. Overall, they ended up with an awkward, obviously inexperienced kiss, but it was special all the same. When they separated, they leaned their foreheads against each other's and announced, very proudly, "I love you," once again. Neither one's grins could seem to falter, even if they desired for it. Their cheeks were starting to hurt, but they were both so ecstatic at the new development that they didn't care.

"So... What now? Are we a couple?" Natsu asked completely without tact.

"Well, I would assume so. Do you want us to be a couple?"

"Hell yeah!" Lucy laughed at Natsu's response before nodding. "What do couples even do, though? You know, before getting married and having babies and stuff?" Lucy laughed again, and blushed a little as images of she and Natsu at the alter and little pink-haired and blonde-haired babies ran through her head.

"They go on dates, for one thing."

"What do you do on a date?"

"It's different for every couple. It could really be anything. Going out to a restaurant to eat, or going to the park, or even just staying at home and doing things like playing games or cooking." Lucy imagined doing those things with Natsu when she realized something. From the confused and slightly wide-eyed expression on Natsu's face, he was coming to the same realization. "Wait..."

"Haven't we..."

"already done...

"all that?"

Natsu and Lucy bust out in laughter again. "We've already been dating!" Lucy exclaimed. Then she paused, and a second later, burst out, "Wait! We always invited Happy along when we went out! So we weren't dating!"

"Did Happy ever actually come with us?" Natsu wondered as he tried to conjure up memories of Happy from when they went on 'dates'.

Lucy paused to think. "I'm... Not entirely sure. I was too enamored with you to... pay attention to Happy." Lucy said, feeling guilt creep into her current emotions.

"I think I was the same way. I don't remember ever really taking my focus off of you..." Natsu said when he could only remember Lucy.

"Oh my God, Natsu, we made Happy a third wheel!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed.

Now Natsu was confused. "A 'third wheel'?"

"When a couple has a friend along with them, and the couple is being all lovey-dovey and not paying any attention to the friend!" Lucy had her hands in her hair, slightly pulling at the strands in stress.

"Oh. That sounds bad."

"It is! We have to apologize to him the very moment he gets back."

"Yeah, we should." Natsu shrugged. Sure, they had accidentally ignored Happy, but it wasn't so bad that Lucy needed to be stressed. Happy was the one of the ones who tried to push them together the most. The exceed was probably too overjoyed at their dates to be too upset about them.

"I feel so terrible!" Lucy shouted, her hair being pulled harder.

"Hey, Luce? Stop feeling so guilty. We'll apologize to Happy and everything'll be okay. I mean, he'll tease us a ton for sure, but he'll understand!" Natsu didn't like it when Lucy felt upset, and because of recent developments, he knew why now. He was in love with her. It seemed so obvious to him now. Why did it take... Whatever the hell had happened for him to realize it?

Lucy smiled to Natsu. "Okay. Thank you." They hugged, then yawned as the earlier exhaustion seeped back into them. "We have more we should talk about, but I think we should just go to sleep for right now."

Natsu nodded, then kissed Lucy's forehead. "Yeah. I'm sleepy. Also, I wanna cuddle with you."

Lucy smiled. "I do, too- EEK!" Natsu had picked her up, his arms wrapped around the underside of Lucy's thighs. She clung her arms tightly around Natsu's shoulders and neck. Natsu just laughed. Lucy could feel his grin against where it rested on her neck. In the next moment, Lucy was plopped onto the couch, still in Natsu's arms. They adjusted themselves into a comfortable position. Lucy ended up squished between Natsu and the back of the couch, but she didn't mind. Natsu had his arms around her lovingly and protectively, and his nose was buried in the golden locks at the top of her head. Lucy had her hands resting on Natsu's chest -a very nice feeling, she couldn't help but notice. She kissed the spot on Natsu's neck where her lips were resting, then sighed in contentment. The last thing Natsu did was throw a blanket over top of them before he also sighed happily and admitted his love to Lucy again. She replied with her own confession of love, and then they fell asleep, basking in each other's warmth and happiness.

* * *

"Ready to tell the guild?" Natsu asked his new girlfriend. Natsu and Lucy were standing outside the guild hall, preparing themselves for the teasing that would surely come in the next few minutes. Lucy smiled and nodded, and then they pushed the doors open, hand in hand. They headed towards the bar, where some of their closer friends were talking amongst themselves.

Gray glanced to the door when he heard it open and rolled his eyes when he saw Lucy and Natsu with their hands clasped together. "Here they go again."

"When are they finally gonna get together?" Mirajane rhetorically asked. Levy shrugged and Erza shook her head.

Natsu and Lucy heard the conversation as they approached and snickered to each other. They really had been idiotic to not notice how in love they were.

"That would be last night," Natsu stated when he and Lucy arrived.

The four at the bar stared at him, trying to decide whether or not he meant what it sounded like he meant.

"You mean..." Erza began.

Lucy smiled and leaned up to kiss Natsu's cheek. "Yes. As of last night, we are officially a couple."

"Yup!" Natsu added before capturing Lucy's lips in a kiss.

Gray snickered. "Get a room, you guys!" Just as he was hoping, his remark colored Lucy's face red. There was revenge to be taken out, and embarrassment was one of the best forms of it. The other people at the bar gave remarks of 'finally' and 'congratulations'.

"Anyways, it turns out we've been in love with each other for a while."

"Oh, wow." Levy said sarcastically.

"That is new information." Mirajane remarked, also with a sarcastic tone.

Lucy blushed a little more. "Yeah, neither of us figured out that we were until last night. I know it's not usually a good idea to act on feelings right after you figure them out, but I think Natsu and I'll be okay."

Mira smiled. "Yes, I'm sure you two will be fine. You're already best friends! The only thing that really changes from that is that you'll be kissing!"

Cana, who had been staying out of the conversation up until now, spoke her two cents. "And fucking!"

Natsu and Lucy blushed at the remark, but they couldn't help but glance at the "special section" of their partner's body. Then, their eyes both darted back up at the same time, and they managed to accidentally look each other in the eyes. They blushed harder and quickly looked away, and the others laughed at their plight. Although, Gray's laugh held a twinge of annoyance that "Flame Brain" would probably lose his virginity before he.

"Do you guys realize," Gray started, "that you have been dating and acting like a couple pretty much since you moved in together?"

Lucy squeaked. "You mean you noticed?" Everyone nodded with a smirk. "I'm sorry we've been so idiotic! I can't believe it took us kissing to-"

"What!?" Mira asked. She and the others were wide-eyed.

"Oh, yeah, Lucy and I kissed a couple times and said we loved each other before we even realized what we were doing! It's pretty funny!"

Lucy whacked him in the chest. "It's not funny! It's embarrassing!"

"It's a little funny. And we'll be laughing about it when we get married!" Lucy blushed a little at the mention of them getting married again, but frankly, she couldn't imagine not marrying him. And she definitely wouldn't get out of it now that the idea was planted in Erza and Mira's heads. One glance at the scary women told her that they were already planning for the event.

Gray gaped, still not able to get over how Natsu and Lucy had gotten together. "How the hell does that even happen!?"

Mira spoke up, hearts replacing her pupils. "It's like their hearts were so fed up with their minds for not figuring it out, that their hearts took action and let the minds ask questions later!" Everyone laughed at the ridiculous, but somehow reasonable, suggestion.

Cana spoke next. "Hey, Natsu! Let's see you plant another one on her!" Natsu didn't hesitate to comply. He had found that kissing Lucy was one of his new favorite things to do. Cana wolf-whistled when Lucy eagerly returned the kiss, which caused them to separate and blush.

It was just then that Happy flew into the guild hall, arriving back from his job. He had seen the kiss, and he was ecstatic.

"Did the idiots in love finally get together!?" He shouted. Natsu and Lucy happily nodded. "Yes! This is so great! Now I'm allowed to tease you again!" And he immediately began to do so, first starting with a "You liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike each other!"

Lucy was about to tell the exceed to stop, but then Natsu stopped her. "We kinda deserve it," he said with a snicker.

Lucy also laughed as she thought back to the past couple of weeks. "Yes, I guess we do. We really were a couple of idiots in love."

* * *

 **A/N: The end. I hope you all enjoyed!**

 **It may be a little while until I post something. A lot of stuff at school has come up, and I just haven't had the time to write. I have a chapter of Togetherness underway and I've kind of started another chaptered fic, but it may be a little while before they're seen. As per usual, I will finish the entirety of that chaptered fic before I begin posting.**

 **See you next time!**

 **Edit: MasterGildarts (I love you, dude. Thanks for all the support you give me!) brought up that they'd like to see a sequel to this, about Natsu and Lucy's marriage and going into their first child. In my head, I've kind of thought of "Idiots in Love", "Father's Day", "Togetherness", and also "You Weren't Supposed to Find That!" as connected, so I guess there's your sequels, if you want to think of them like that. For those who haven't read any of them, you can find them in my profile. None of those actually have the wedding, but if demand is high enough and if I have enough motivation, I might write a short fic about their wedding.**

 **Again, see you next time!**


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